R' Elliot Pasik asked: "I'd be curious to know when Rav Moshe Feinstein, ztl, wrote about marijuana. From about the 50s through the 70s,marijuana was more of a protest symbol, than a recreational drug The protest was ... I speculate that in declaring marijuana assur, and stating the reasons, dina d'malchus dina was not weighing on the mind of Rav Feinstein, because Jews were mostly law abiding then - I would say mentchlich. Today, there is simply no validity for anyone to smoke marijuana, other than for medical reasons. Its a crime.... If Rav Moshe were writing today, I speculate that dina d'malchus dina would be addressed."<br>
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R' Akiva Miller writes: "The teshuva which I and others referenced (Igros Moshe, Yoreh Deah 3:35) is <br>
dated @nd Day of Rosh Chodesh Adar 5733 - Spring 1973. I'll grant that marijuana was quite the symbol of protest and counterculture, but the ability to use it as such derived specifically from its illegality. IIRC, everyone knew that it was illegal. If you are trying to suggest that people (such as Rav Moshe) did not realize that it was illegal, then you've <br>
totally lost me....."<br>
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What I meant to convey was my own rumination that while Rav Feinstein well knew of the illegality of marijuana, why didn't he mention it? My guess is that mentchlikeit was nearly a given, and preaching about DDD was mostly unnecessary. Additionally, I guess, again, that he may felt that if he preached about catchall DDD, the protesting pot smokers wouldn't listen to him. He recognized that pot smoking was a form of protest, a statement not to trust anyone over 30. Hence, he wrote about honoring one's parents, a powerful, emotional message.<br>
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Elliot Pasik<br>
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